Congratulations to all the students who gave presentations at the Community Mentorship Presentation Evening held at Onteora High School on June 12th! The Community Mentor Program offers students in Grades 9-12 the opportunity to pursue their interests and passions—and perhaps their “dream” careers—with the guidance of community-based professionals. 

Throughout the semester-long program, each participating student is paired with a mentor from the community who supports and guides their learning journey. Meetings take place regularly, outside of school hours, demonstrating the dedication of both the students and our community. Thank you so much to Onteora High School Social Studies teacher David Nelsen-Epstein for leading this year’s program, and for all of our dedicated community mentors!

This spring, students engaged in a variety of subjects during their mentorships—including the fine arts, film, auto mechanics, languages, law, education, and more! On presentation night, they showed slide presentations, shared anecdotes, and displayed samples of the work they had accomplished during their mentorships. They spoke candidly of the practical knowledge they had gained, the friendships they had made, and the personal growth they had experienced. 

Congratulations to the following students for a job well done:
Rodrigo Amarilla-Barrios: Watercolors with Angela Gaffney-Smith
Dahlia Boiardi: Screenwriting with Larry Fessenden
Damian Foley: Comic/Graphic Novel Writing with Kevin Rowe
Adam Jordaan-Grady: Photography with Franco Vogt
Harsimran Kaur: Law with ADA Sajaa Ahmed
William “Will” Merenda: Performance Auto Tuning with Sloan Hoffstatter
Chloe Peters: Education with Onteora teacher Allison Mitchell 
Hazel Storch: Philosophy with Dr. Daniel Werner
Abigail Taylor: Education with Onteora teacher Melissa Johnson
Azarax “Azi” Tehrani: Law with ADA Sajaa Ahmed
Amelie Watts: Education with Onteora teacher Molly Heekin
Isabelle Wentland: Chinese Language Studies with Dylan Nelsen-Epstein

Rodrigo Amarilla-Barrios, who already enjoyed drawing, said that he always wanted to explore other art mediums, and was happy to report that his mentorship, which involved studying watercolors at the Woodstock School of Art, helped him become even more skilled. “Trying watercolors was a big shift for me,” he commented, explaining how there is no way to “erase” in this medium, whereas with drawing there is. “I learned how the paint functions and flows, and as a result, I learned to be more free and confident as an artist!” he said. 

Dahlia Boiardi, who will be attending SUNY Purchase in the fall to study filmmaking, learned much about screenwriting and directing from mentor Larry Fessenden, a director, actor and film producer. Dahlia was even able to create a short film, a modern take on film noir, a cinematic style popular in the 1940s and 1950s,  “I really expanded my writing skills and learned that an ending doesn’t always have to be happy,” Dahlia explained.

Damian Foley created a 20-page comic called Archer of the Skies during his mentorship with writer and comic book creator Kevin Rowe, from Hopeful Rowemantics Studios in Kingston. Damian said that he learned much about the business aspect of the graphic novel industry, and appreciated when an illustrator from Rowe’s first work, N.A.R.L.I.’s Tubular Tales, was able to illustrate the first six pages of the script he created.

Adam Jordaan-Grady, who studied photography with Franco Vogt, said that his mentorship taught him to experiment more, and to explore creating more abstract pieces. “I learned to try new perspectives and utilize negative space,” he explained. “This leads the viewer to question what they are seeing.” Adam also mentioned that he learned new skills with his mentor using an Adobe computer program that helped him to create his eye-catching pieces. Adam aspires to be a travel photographer, a profession that would allow him to combine his love of travel with his love of photography. 

Harsimran Kaur, who hopes to study political science in the future, was able to examine several pending legal cases with Ulster County Administrative Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Sajaa Ahmed, including one on animal abuse. Harsimran said that during her mentorship, she was able to apply skills of critical thinking and public speaking, which will help her in her future pursuits.

Azarax “Azi” Tehrani, who also studied law under ADA Sajaa Ahmed, said the hands-on nature of the mentorship has helped to prepare him to pursue this field in college. During his presentation, Azi shared a number of anecdotes, including one recounting a conversation he had with Mahmoud Khalil, who was an activist who had been detained by ICE since March. 

William “Will” Merenda, who learned about “Performance Auto Tuning” with Sloan Hoffstatter, owner of Hurley Motorsports, always loved cars, so his mentorship was a perfect fit. During his presentation, Will proudly showed off photographs of the cars he got to work on, including his own beloved Subaru. “I learned so many practical skills that I can use when I become a mechanic,” he said. 

Abigail Taylor, Amelie Watts, and Chloe Peters all had the pleasure of working with veteran Onteora teachers for their mentorships in education. All three students said that thanks to their mentors, they gained valuable hands-on experience, learned vital classroom management skills, and made meaningful connections with students. Although the mentees found their teaching mentorships to be challenging, they still look forward to becoming educators themselves! 

Abigail, who worked with Kindergarten teacher Melissa Johnson, came to her mentorship with much prior experience working with children, including working at a day camp and as a lifeguard. “But what made this so different is that I really got to see what teaching is like,” she said. 

Amelie, who worked with Grade 2 teacher Molly Heekin, said that since school had been difficult for her at times, she wanted to become a teacher to help students feel safe and able to learn. She said she appreciated seeing how lessons progressed in Ms. Heekin’s classroom, including ones focusing on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). “I had never experienced SEL before coming to Onteora last year, and I liked the way Ms. Heekin used puppets and scenarios to teach these skills to her students,” she explained.

“I saw how difficult running a classroom really is, and I learned so much,” said Chloe Peters, who worked under Grade 2 teacher Allison Mitchell. “I saw how each child learns differently and may need a different approach,” she continued. “I really liked having an impact on the young students, and enjoyed helping them learn.”

Hazel Storch participated in the mentorship program during the previous school year, studying art, and was eager to participate again. Deciding to “branch out” this year, she studied Philosophy with SUNY New Paltz Professor Dr. Daniel Werner. Hazel said the mentorship was both valuable and practical, as she will be majoring in Philosophy next fall at Sarah Lawrence College. 

Isabelle “Izzy” Wentland, who loves languages and had already been in the process of studying several, including American Sign Language (ASL), Japanese, Korean, and French, opted for a mentorship focusing on the Mandarin Chinese language. She even gave much of her presentation in her newly acquired language! 

Under the tutelage of Dylan Nelsen-Epstein, who has traveled extensively, learning and utilizing multiple languages, Izzy learned basic vocabulary about family, colors, food, and more. “My favorite word I learned was ‘Máo,’ which means ‘cat,’” she explained. She added that learning proper pronunciation was quite challenging, as Mandarin Chinese requires specificity in tone.

“But what I really enjoyed most was listening to my mentor tell his travel stories, and learning about cultural differences and traditions,” she concluded.

Program advisor David Nelsen-Epstein said, "I'm very proud of all of the students who participated this year. The excitement and enthusiasm were palpable. I'm really looking forward to seeing what next year has in store. There are already 32 students signed up for the program for next year!"